Imaging, microscopic analysis, and modeling of a CdTe module degraded by heat and light

Johnston, Steve; Albin, David; Hacke, Peter; Harvey, Steven P.; Moutinho, Helio; Jiang, Chun-Sheng; Xiao, Chuanxiao; Parikh, Anuja; Nardone, Marco; Al-Jassim, Mowafak; Metzger, Wyatt K.

doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2017.12.021

Title: Imaging, microscopic analysis, and modeling of a CdTe module degraded by heat and light

Abstract

Photoluminescence (PL), electroluminescence (EL), and dark lock-in thermography are collected during stressing of a CdTe module under one-Sun light at an elevated temperature of 100 degrees C. The PL imaging system is simple and economical. The PL images show differing degrees of degradation across the module and are less sensitive to effects of shunting and resistance that appear on the EL images. Regions of varying degradation are chosen based on avoiding pre-existing shunt defects. These regions are evaluated using time-of-flight secondary ion-mass spectrometry and Kelvin probe force microscopy. Reduced PL intensity correlates to increased Cu concentration at the front interface. Numerical modeling and measurements agree that the increased Cu concentration at the junction also correlates to a reduced space charge region.

Authors:

Johnston, Steve ^[1]; Albin, David ^[1]; Hacke, Peter ^[1]; Harvey, Steven P. ^[1]; Moutinho, Helio ^[1]; Jiang, Chun-Sheng ^[1]; Xiao, Chuanxiao ^[1]; Parikh, Anuja ^[2]; Nardone, Marco ^[2]; Al-Jassim, Mowafak ^[1]; Metzger, Wyatt K. ^[1]

National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Bowling Green State Univ., KY (United States)

Publication Date:: 2018-01-12

Research Org.:: National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office

OSTI Identifier:: 1419630

Alternate Identifier(s):: OSTI ID: 1496354

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA-5K00-70699
Journal ID: ISSN 0927-0248

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 178; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0927-0248

Publisher:: Elsevier

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 14 SOLAR ENERGY; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; accelerated aging; cadmium telluride; imaging, microscopy; modeling; photoluminescence

Citation Formats


                    Johnston, Steve, Albin, David, Hacke, Peter, Harvey, Steven P., Moutinho, Helio, Jiang, Chun-Sheng, Xiao, Chuanxiao, Parikh, Anuja, Nardone, Marco, Al-Jassim, Mowafak, and Metzger, Wyatt K.. Imaging, microscopic analysis, and modeling of a CdTe module degraded by heat and light.  United States: N. p., 2018. 
Web.  doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2017.12.021.

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                    Johnston, Steve, Albin, David, Hacke, Peter, Harvey, Steven P., Moutinho, Helio, Jiang, Chun-Sheng, Xiao, Chuanxiao, Parikh, Anuja, Nardone, Marco, Al-Jassim, Mowafak, & Metzger, Wyatt K.. Imaging, microscopic analysis, and modeling of a CdTe module degraded by heat and light.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2017.12.021

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                    Johnston, Steve, Albin, David, Hacke, Peter, Harvey, Steven P., Moutinho, Helio, Jiang, Chun-Sheng, Xiao, Chuanxiao, Parikh, Anuja, Nardone, Marco, Al-Jassim, Mowafak, and Metzger, Wyatt K.. Fri .  
"Imaging, microscopic analysis, and modeling of a CdTe module degraded by heat and light".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2017.12.021.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1419630.

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@article{osti_1419630,

  title        = {Imaging, microscopic analysis, and modeling of a CdTe module degraded by heat and light},

  author       = {Johnston, Steve and Albin, David and Hacke, Peter and Harvey, Steven P. and Moutinho, Helio and Jiang, Chun-Sheng and Xiao, Chuanxiao and Parikh, Anuja and Nardone, Marco and Al-Jassim, Mowafak and Metzger, Wyatt K.},

  abstractNote = {Photoluminescence (PL), electroluminescence (EL), and dark lock-in thermography are collected during stressing of a CdTe module under one-Sun light at an elevated temperature of 100 degrees C. The PL imaging system is simple and economical. The PL images show differing degrees of degradation across the module and are less sensitive to effects of shunting and resistance that appear on the EL images. Regions of varying degradation are chosen based on avoiding pre-existing shunt defects. These regions are evaluated using time-of-flight secondary ion-mass spectrometry and Kelvin probe force microscopy. Reduced PL intensity correlates to increased Cu concentration at the front interface. Numerical modeling and measurements agree that the increased Cu concentration at the junction also correlates to a reduced space charge region.},

  doi          = {10.1016/j.solmat.2017.12.021},

  journal      = {Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells},

  number       = C,

  volume       = 178,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {2018},

  month        = {1}

}

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2017.12.021

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Cited by: 11 works

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Figures / Tables:

Fig. 1: Pre-stress images of the CdTe module show (a) PL, (b) EL, and (c) forward-bias DLIT. Post-stress images of the CdTe module show (d) PL, (e) EL, and (f) DLIT. Circles (green for least degraded and red for most degraded) mark regions of interest away from shunts, where PLmore »

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